Container actuated apparatus positioning capped stem within container and cap to fall thereon



Aug. 30, 1966 H. A. STIEFEL, JR 3,269,034 CONTAINER ACTUATED APPARATUSPOSITIONING CAPPED STEM WITHIN CONTAINER AND CAP TO FALL THEREON FiledJune 25, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HAROLD A. STR'IEFEL ,JR.

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ATTORNEY 30, 1966 H. A. STIEFEL, JR 3,269,084

CONTAINER ACTUATED APPARATUS POSITIONING CAPPED STEM WITHIN CONTAINERAND CAP TO FALL THEREON Filed June 25, 1963 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR.

L, JR. 6 M

HAROLD A. SIIEFE BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,269,084 CONTAINERACTUATED APPARATUS PQSETEQN- ING CAPPED STEM WITHIN QONTAINER AND CAPT63 FALL THEREUN Harold A. Stiefel, Jr, Highlands, iex. (342 HrookviewDrive, Channelview, Tex.) Filed June 25, 1963, fier. No. 220,509 6Claims. (Cl 53-68) This invention relates to an apparatus or deviceinstallable in an assembly line for the purpose of positioning cappedstems downwardly from the device into containers passing on a conveyorthereunder, the device being actuated by each container to cause arespective stem to take position within the container, thereafter thecapped stem dropping downwardly by gravity so that the cap falls toposition on the top or neck of the container.

An example of capped bottles to be filled are bottles which are equippedwith capped stems, the caps thereof including spring-urged check valveswhich are trigger operated to deliver the fluid from the bottles. Itthen becomes necessary in the course of the breakdown of assembly lineoperations, first to fill the bottles as they pass by a source ofrespective liquid and thereafter to place the capped stems in thebottles successively as they pass down the assembly line, the caps thenpassing between reversely rotated rollers which thread up the caps onthe bottle necks.

Presently, in the absence of most complex and costly machineryheretofore employed for the purpose of assemblying capped stems infilled bottles, it has been the custom to avoid the initial cost ofexpensive machinery by having several operators place the capped stemsin the bottles by manual operation, or substantially by manualoperation. This results in extra labor costs as balanced against a highinitial outlay for high priced specialized machinery, classifiable ascapital goods.

With the foregoing problem in mind, this invention has been developedwith the object of providing an inexpensive and accurate machine which asingle operator can serve and exceed the performance heretoforeaccomplished by three or more individual operators.

It is also another object of the invention to provide a device orapparatus of this class in which each individual container or bottleactuates apparatus to position the stern of a capped stem within theneck of that bottle which has actuated it, and promptly thereafter, uponslight further motion the container achieves position where the stemfalls thereinto with the cap therefor to fall on the neck of the bottle.

It is also another and further object of this invention to provideapparatus of this class, including electrically operated means, whichacts, as each bottle reaches a predetermined position along theconveyor, to actuate lower stem positioning apparatus whereby the lowerpart of the stem is positioned in the neck of its respective containerafter which the stem falls further into the container by gravity so asto lodge the cap of the stem on the neck of the bottle to besubsequently threaded thereonto.

It is also another and further object of this invention to provideapparatus of this class which is positively reset or return actuatedupon the passage of a stem thereby.

It is also a particular object of this invention to provide a device orapparatus of this class which is positive in operation, requires nomanual manipulation and which is not limited for accuracy or performanceby any variations of container spacing along the conveyor.

Other and further objects will be apparent when the specification hereinis considered in connection with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of apparatusemployable to carry out the purposes of this invention, the figure beingtaken part in section;

FIG. 2 is a view, partially isometric, looking down from the front ofthe device from a plane which extends substantially degrees to thehorizontal; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse elevational View taken along line 3-3of FIG. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference numeralsare assigned to like elements in the various views, containers orbottles 10 upstand vertically from a continuous plate type conveyor 11comprised of a succession of pivotally connected conveyor plates, notshown. Two spaced apart, upstanding support plates or frames 12 and 13carry the apparatus which supports the capped stems 14. As best seen inFIG. 2, the capped stems 14 are fed through a delivery track 20, 21,with caps 22 to slide downwardly upon a slotted track 15, 16, and withthe enlarged upper parts 25 of the stems 24 to pass through the uppertrack slot 19, and the lower, reduced diameter parts of the stems 24 topass through the lower track slot 23 of a lower slotted track 17, 18.

Each bottle 10 is moved by the conveyor 11 to he point Where it beginsto cross the beam 26 which completes circuit between a photosensitive orphotoelectric cell 27 and an intensity controlled source of light 28.The bottle occludes the eye 27 to break the beam circuit 26 to energizea solenoid 29 mounted on the outer side of a frame member 12.Energization of the solenoid 29 causes its armature 34 to be movedupwardly, as shown in FIG. 2. The armature 38 has a bifurcated upper end31, having a pin 32 thereacross, to pass through a slot 33 in the outerend of a trigger lever 34 which passes through a slot 41 in the frame 12and is pivotally mounted on the lower track 17 by means of a pivot pin.Inwardly the lever 34 has a spring 36 connected at one end 37 to thelever 34 and at the other end 38 to a pin spaced from the lever 34opposite the direction of bottle movement.

As the caps 22 slide upon the upper track 15, 16, they take position,one after the other, with cap abutting cap, and with leading cap 22retarded on stopped position against a stop bar 39 which has its ends 40connected to the respective frames 12, 13 and which is of reduceddiameter centrally at the location of cap contact.

As the solenoid 29 is activated by the leading bottle 10 breakingcircuit by interrupting the beam 26, the lever 34, initially in theposition A shown in heavy lines in FIG. 2 moves to the intermediateposition B, shown in dotted lines, the inner end of the lever 34 hasmoved forwardly to contact the trailing surface of the lower end of theleading stem 24, the cap 22 of which is in stopped position against thestop bar 39 thereabove.

During the period the lever 34 now moves from intermediate position B toits forwardmost position C the leading stem 24 is being forced forwardlyagainst a detent 42 to pivot the detent 42 about a pivot pin 43 anchoredin the lower track 18, while this movement is yielda'bly opposed by aspring 44 which is connected at its forward end 45 to the detent 4-2centrally thereof and which is connected rearwardly to a pin 46upstanding above the track 18.

As the trigger lever 34 continues to force the leading stem 24forwardly, the line of contact of the stem fartherest to the right, asviewed in FIG. 2, clears the tip of the detent 42, whereby the spring 44may urge the detent 42 rearwardly to be stopped upon contact with a stoppin 47 which upstands above the lower track 18. In this movement itbecomes the stop for a following stem 24.

When the trigger lever 34 reaches its forwardmost position, it hasforced the lower end of the stem 24 into the neck of the leading bottle10. The trigger lever 34 may still be under the force of the energizedsolenoid at this point to remain until the beam circuit 26 is restored.

The leading bottle 10, as it now moves forward with the lower end of theleading stem 24 in its neck, causes the cap 22 of the leading stem 24 tochange positions as the trailing edge of the under surface of the capprogresses forwardly and downwardly to clear the lower end of the uppersurface of the upper track 15, 16, whereby it falls by gravity so thatthe lower end of the stem 24 falls down into the 'bottle as the capfalls into position upon the neck of the bottle. This occursapproximately as the leading bottle or container 10 clears forwardly ofthe beam 26, so that the beam circuit may be restored.

As the beam circuit 26 is restored, the solenoid 29 is de-energized, sothat the armature 30 is freed to be returned to initial position whichis brought by the spring 36 yieldably pulling rearwardly on the innerend of the trigger lever 34.

As the inner end of the trigger lever 34 is moved rearwardly, it passesin the path of the following stem 24 now resting on the end surface ofthe detent or detent lever 42 as such is restrained in stopped positionagainst the stop 47. The inner rear surface of the trigger lever 34 iscammed at 48 whereby as it passes the aforesaid following stem 24 it maymove it rearwardly away from the detent 42 sufficiently that the triggerlever cammed surface 48 may clear it to permit it to return to thedetent position. Then after passing the following stem, the triggerlever is finally brought back to initial position or position A, as thearmature 30 is moved downward to a corresponding initial or stoppedposition within the solenoid 29.

The operations hereinabove described with relation to FIGS. 1 and 2 maybe more thoroughly explained by reference to FIG. 3 which shows therelation of the trigger lever 34, detent 42, and leading stem 24 in theintermediate position B indicated in FIG. 2. This view further showsthat since the trigger lever 34 and detent 42 are at differentelevations, a spacer ring 49 must be provided between the trigger lever34 and the track 17 therebelow, to receive the pivot pin therethrough,and to space the lever 34 sufficiently above the tracks 17, 18 so thatthere can be no interference between the trigger lever 34 and detent 42.

The machine or device 50 straddles the conveyor 11 and requires nospecial structural members or special mechanism other than the essentialworking parts, and it is only necessary that the frame members 12 and 13are held parallel and accurately spaced apart, which is accomplished, asbest seen in FIG. 1, by means of a large spacing stud 51 between theupper forward corners of the frames 12, 13, and by a pair of spacinglugs 52 at the rear of the machine between these frames, substantiallycentrally thereof.

Machine 50 of this type can well accomplish the performance of sixoperators when fed by a single operator whose only duty is to placecapped stems 24 in the slot 19 of the feeder track 20, 21. As a specificexample of what this machine can accomplish, a process was being carriedout where three operators were employed in positioning capped stems 24manually, and these three operators were able to position from 50 to 55capped stems per minute over a measured time run. After installation ofa machine 50 at the point in the assembly line where these threeoperators had formerly been stationed, a single operator was employedwhose sole duties consisted of keeping continuity of capped stems in theslot 19 of the feeder track 20, 21, and the machine placed 120 cappedstems per minute over a measured time run.

A machine of this type can be fabricated for a fraction of the cost ofconventional machines which additionally thread the caps fast up onbottlenecks. However, since this threading on apparatus can consist ofno more than two adjacently positioned, oppositely rotated rollersmounted at the requisite level to contact the capped stems after theyare in position on the bottles, the machine of this invention can besupplemented by the aforesaid reversely rotated rollers at only aslightly increased total cost, so that an improved total invention maystill cost a 4 fraction of the cost of a conventional mass productionmachine for this purpose.

In the particular usage of the invention shown, capped stems 24 arepositioned in bottles filled with spray starch or window cleaner and thecap includes an atomizer or spring urged check valve to spray thecontents. However other containers having special caps, top closures ortops can be treated in a manner comparable to the manner shown for thespecific structural capped stem shown handled in the drawings.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific structuralarrangement shown, or for any specific kind of container, but rather theinvention considers a wide range of modifications, embodiments, andvariations as long as such may fall within the broad spirit of theinvention and within the broad scope of interpretation claimed for, andmerited by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus actuated by horizontally conveyed, open necked, filledcontainers, for positioning capped stems within the container necks withcaps to fall on said necks, said apparatus comprising support means,upper and lower slotted tracks carried thereby with said caps to ridealong said upper track and said stems to extend downwardly through saidlower track slot, stop means to contact the upper part of a cap at thelower end of said upper track, a yieldable detent pivotally mounted onsaid lower track normally in path of stem movement, light means and aphotoelectric cell in beam circuit and in circuit with a relay and asolenoid, a trigger yieldably mounted on said lower track normally outof path of stem movement and urged by said solenoid as relay actuated asa leading container breaks said beam circuit to urge leading stem pastsaid detent and the lower end thereof into a leading container, whilecontainer movement pivots said leading cap between upper track and stopmeans so that said leading capped stem takes upright position and dropswith said stem falling further into said container and said cap fallingupon said container neck.

2. Apparatus actuated by horizontally conveyed, open necked, filledcontainers, for positioning capped stems within the container necks withcaps to fall on said necks, said apparatus comprising support means,upper and lower slotted tracks carried thereby with said caps to ridealong said upper track and said stems to extend downwardly through saidlower track slot, stop means forwardly adjacent to contact the upperpart of a cap at the lower end of said upper track, a yieldable detentpivotally mounted in said lower track normally in path of stem movement,light means and a photoelectric cell in beam circuit and in circuit witha relay and a solenoid, a trigger yieldably mounted on said lower tracknormally out of path of stem movement and urged by said solenoid asrelay actuated as a leading container breaks said beam circuit to urgealeading stem past said detent and the lower end thereof into a leadingcontainer, while container movement pivots said leading cap betweenupper track and stop means so that said leading capped stem takesupright position and drops with said stem falling further into saidcontainer and said cap falling upon said container neck.

3. Apparatus actuated by horizontally conveyed, open necked, filledcontainers for positioning capped stems into the container necks withcaps to fall on said necks, said apparatus comprising support means,upper and lower slotted tracks carried thereby with said caps to ridealong said upper track and said stems to extend downwardly through saidlower track slot, stop means to contact the upper part of a cap at thelower end of said upper track, a yieldable detent pivotally mounted insaid lower track normally in path of stem movement, light means and aphotoelectric cell in beam circuit and in circuit with a relay and asolenoid, a trigger yieldably mounted on said lower track normally outof path of stem movement and urged by said solenoid as relay actuated byleading container breakage of said beam circuit to urge the leading stempast said detent and the lower end thereof into a leading container,whereby said detent may be yieldably urged rearwardly to be contacted bya following stem, container movement then pivoting between upper tracklower end and said stop to upright position with said stem to fallfurther into said container and with said cap to drop around said neck,upon said leading container being moved forward to restore said beamcircuit, said trigger being yieldably urged rearwardly to be cammed pastsaid following stem into an initial position as said solenoid islikewise yieldably restored to initial positioning and upon triggerclearance, said following stern being returned by gravity and capdisposition again into detent contact.

4. A capped stem positioner to place capped stems with stems in necks ofconveyed containers and caps on the necks thereof, said positionercomprising track means and stop means, including yieldable detent meansnormally to hold said capped stems in parallel relationship and uponsaid track means, a yieldably mounted trigger, circuit means operableresponsive to a leading container respectively arriving at, and passingby a predetermined conveyor position first to actuate said trigger tomove a leading stem past said detent means into a leading containerneck, said detent thereby being yield-ably restored to initial position,and second to permit said trigger to be yieldably restored past afollowing stem to initial position, container movement, after leadingstem has been positioned therein, moving a leading cap with relation tosaid track and stop means to position Where its stem falls further intosaid leading container and said leading cap falls upon the neck of theleading container.

5. A positioner as claimed in claim 4 in which said track meanscomprises an upper and a lower slotted track.

6. A- positi-oner as claimed in claim 4 in which said circuit meansincludes a photoelectric cell and an oppositely disposed light meanscompleting a beam circuit across the path of container movement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,118,218 1/1964Gleason et al 29208 X 3,141,278 7/1964 Wysocki 53-319 3,170,231 2/1965Gleason 29-208 TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS ACTUATED BY HORIZONTALLY CONVEYED, OPEN NECKED, FILLEDCONTAINERS, FOR POSITIONING CAPPED STEMS WITHIN THE CONTAINER NECKS WITHCAPS TO FALL ON SAID NECKS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS,UPPER AND LOWER SLOTTED TRACKS CARRIED THEREBY WITH SAID CAPS TO RIDEALONG SAID UPPER TRACK AND SAID STEMS TO EXTEND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAIDLOWER TRACK SLOT, STOP MEANS TO CONTACT THE UPPER PART OF A CAP AT THELOWER ENED OF SAID UPPER TRACK, A YIELDABLE DETENT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ONSAID LOWER TRACK NORMALLY IN PATH OF STEM MOVEMENT, LIGHT MEANS AND APHOTOELECTRIC CELL IN BEAM CIRCUIT AND IN CIRCUIT WITH A RELAY AND ASOLENOID, A TRIGGER YIELDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID LOWER TRACK NORMALLY OUTOF PATH OF STEM MOVEMENT AND URGED BY SAID SOLENOID AS RELAY ACTUATED ASA LEADING CONTAINER BREAKS SAID BEAM CIRCUIT TO URGE LEADING STEM PASTSAID DETENT AND THE LOWER END THEREOF INTO A LEADING CONTAINER, WHILECONTAINER MOVEMENT PIVOTS SAID LEADING CAP BETWEEM UPPER TRACK AND STOPMEANS SO THAT SAID LEADING CAPPED STEM TAKES UPRIGHT POSITION AND DROPSWITH SAID STEM FALLING FURTHER INTO SAID CONTAINER AND SAID CAP FALLINGUPON SAID CONTAINER NECK.